Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Rural Independent Group for bringing forward this motion because it gives special attention to the cost of living crisis, particularly in rural Ireland and on family farms. We know that the cost of fertiliser has increased by between 160% and 228% in the last year and that is completely unsustainable. While beef prices might be high, the outputs are crazy. Feed costs have gone through the roof and farm families are struggling with fuel costs and other costs associated with living in rural Ireland. I do not know how many more times we can tell the Government to scrap the planned carbon taxes, which do not make sense economically. The Government is digging its heels in on this and it will suffer the damage for that. It makes no economic sense because we do not have alternatives to carbon.

Deputy Martin Kenny brought forward legislation to rural-proof Government policy and it is obvious that this is not happening. People in rural Ireland and farming communities know this; it is not just us saying that. As late as last week, the CSO data showed that regional inequality continues to rise. The rising inequality in disposable income, for instance, was €3,237 in 2020, as opposed to €1,307 in 2000. That is nothing political but it should tell the Minister what is happening and what this Government and other Governments have done in rural Ireland. Inequality in disposable income is three times higher than it was a decade ago so something is absolutely wrong. That is why we need a Government policy with positive discrimination towards rural Ireland. People feel that in their pockets more than anywhere else. I know it relates to higher education, regional infrastructure and everything else but it also relates to disposable income. Where we have farmers who have so little disposable income by the time they have paid for everything, it completely discriminates against rural Ireland and if Covid showed us one thing it was the need to address regional inequality.

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